Species ranges are shifting upward and poleward faster than expected

A new paper in the Journal Science by Chen and colleagues finds that species ranges are moving upward in elevation and towards the poles faster than has been expected from previous studies. Species’ ranges have climbed an average of 11 meters higher and 16.9 km closer to the poles per decade, with species in areas experiencing the greatest climate shift also showing the greatest range movement. The study is important because it compares range shifts across a broad diversity of birds, mammals, arthropods, plants, herptiles, fish, and mollusks. Despite the fact that the average rate of range shift is more rapid than was expected, individual species show a wide range of responses, implying that the range shifts will leave some species behind and cause widespread reassembly of ecological communities.
The full paper is here.